Blog

From studio life to garden projects, from chickens to cups- read about the experiences at Rat City Studios! Everyone at the studio writes for the blog on many topics. The common thread is clay, the garden, our life here at the studio, and our creative processes.

Have you ever spent a lot of time on a piece, then opened the glaze firing to find out that the glaze ran right down to the kiln shelf? It may be worth trying to grind the glaze off to save the piece (or at least have it has a functional second).

First, cut off most of the glaze with a cutting disc and rotary tool. Go slow and let the tool do the work. Don't apply too much pressure and try not to bend the cutting disc. Always wear eye protection when using a rotary tool.

Next, start grinding the glaze down with a coarse grinding wheel or grinding attachment on a rotary tool. Slowly grind down the glaze until the foot looks uniform in shape again. After the rough grind, switch to a fine grit sand paper to polish off any sharp edges.

Here's a quick video of grinding off a glaze run from the foot of the pot.

Another problem you may run into is a wobbly or rocking pot. Sometimes this happens because a wonky kiln shelf or kiln wash kept the pot from shrinking properly during glaze firing.

The only way to get a wobbly pot to sit flat is by using a large diamond sanding disc. Many people don't have this, but here is a little video demo on how to do it anyway.

Now these pots rock because they look awesome! Not because they are actually rocking and wobbling.

Rat City Studios is the workspace of Deborah Schwartzkopf, Seattle based studio potter and instructor. Her mission is to engage and build community through clay – one person, one neighborhood, and one experience at a time. In service to this pursuit, she offers studio assistant positions for emerging artists, connects people through social events, instructs classes and workshops, and maintains a lively career in the ceramic arts!